Lotus Development Corp has announced Lotus Notes Express, a new Notes client that enables organisations to deploy groupware broadly at a price expected to be less than $100 per copy for purchases of 100 units or more. Available in the US from September 16, it combines five communication and collaboration applications, including client-server-based electronic mail, discussion databases, news and references databases, and a shared phone book. It provides organisations with a single, infrastructure for Notes applications and local network-based or mobile electronic mail. It runs on Windows, OS/2 and Macintosh operating environments and supports local network-based or mobile users, who may be occasionally connected from remote locations. The Notes Express clients will interoperate with all Notes Release 3.X servers for Windows, OS/2, Sun Solaris or the Novell Network Loadable Module. Upcoming Notes Release 3.2 servers for Windows NT and HP-UX, IBM AIX, Sun Solaris 2.x and Santa Cruz Operation Inc also will support the Notes Express client. Customers have to upgrade at least one of their servers to Notes Release 3.2 to get the new Name and Address book and system administration tools needed to support the Notes Express client. Lotus Organizer 2.0, also announced, can be used with Notes and Notes Express to provide group diary and scheduling. German, French and Spanish versions of Notes Express will be available next month, with Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Japanese, Dutch and Finnish language versions to be out later this year. Further languages will be added early in 1995.
